There’s something comforting about the flavour of apple pie. Sweet, tart and spicy all at once, it’s always a treat.
That’s why I always keep a jar of apple butter in the house. It’s really like concentrated apple pie flavour in a jar that you can spread on just about anything whenever you get a pie craving. Best of all, the brand I buy – Wellesley – contains no added sugar or colouring so it’s a lot healthier than a slab of apple pie.
But me being me, had to go and take this pretty healthy ingredient and pair it with something very unhealthy – cake. The result was a beautifully moist cake, with rich icing, offset by the spice and tartness of the apple butter filling. I bought it in to work and it quickly disappeared.
Vanilla Apple Spice Cake
Prepare one box vanilla cake mix (or spice cake!) as directed or doctor it up. (See directions for kicking up a cake mix here.) Pour into two 8″ round baking pans that are well greased and floured. Bake and set aside to cool.
While the cake is cooling, whip up this vanilla buttercream frosting:
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
In a stand mixer, whip the butter for 2-3 minutes until it is almost white in colour. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. Beat on low speed for 3-5 minutes, adding in the last tablespoon of milk if the buttercream needs to be thinner.
To assemble the cake, place 1 of the cake rounds on your serving plate and spread 3/4 of a cup of apple butter in the center of the cake keeping it about 1 inch away from the edge. Top with the second cake round and place 2 – 3 bamboo skewers through both layers to keep it from shifting while icing the cake. Remove the skewers when the cake is fully iced. Sprinkle the top of the cake with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Enjoy with a big glass of milk.
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